Kempty Falls
#1of 8 places to visit in MussoorieMussoorie, Uttarakhand
Also known as Kempti Falls
Quick answer
Opening hours: 08:00–18:00. Entry is free. Allow 2 hrs. Best time: 08:00 – 10:00.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read
- Opening hours
- 08:00–18:00
- Entry fee
- Free
- Time needed
- 2 hrs
- Best time of day
- 08:00 – 10:00
- Best months
- Oct – Jun
- Address
- Kempty Falls Road, Kempty, Mussoorie, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand 248179
About Kempty Falls
Kempty Falls drops roughly 40 metres over grey granite bedrock, 15 kilometres from Mussoorie's Library Bus Stand on the Yamunotri road. The falls were developed for tourism by John Mekinan, a British officer who built a small resthouse near the cascade in the 1830s to give travellers heading toward the Yamunotri pilgrim route a stopover with tea and a view. The name derives from that origin: 'camp tea', anglicised over a century of local pronunciation into Kempty. Today five terraced pools step down from the main cascade, each shallower than the last, cut into the granite by the stream itself rather than built. The rock underfoot is slick with algae year-round, and the state tourism board has fenced the topmost pool nearest the fall face after monsoon-season drownings in past years — that section stays roped off regardless of how calm the water looks.
Best time of day: 08:00 – 10:00. Before the tour-taxi convoys from Mussoorie's taxi stand arrive and while the 250-odd stone steps down to the pools are still uncrowded.
Kempty Falls timings
Kempty Falls opens at 08:00 and closes at 18:00. The weekend is no different: Saturday and Sunday follow the same times.
- Opening hours
- 08:00–18:00
Mon–Sun 08:00–18:00 - Closed on
- Open every day
Good to know: Water flow is strongest July–September (monsoon) and thinnest in May–June; the pools are cordoned off during heavy monsoon spate for safety.
Opening hours compiled from uttarakhandtourism.gov.in and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Kempty Falls ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Indian visitors | Free |
| Foreign visitors | Free |
| Children | Free |
| Camera | Free |
Entry to the falls is free. Locker rental runs approximately ₹50, changing-room use ₹10, costume hire ₹20, and parking ₹40 per vehicle, collected by the local operators' cooperative rather than a government counter — as of 2026, verify at the counter. The connecting ropeway is a separate ticket, roughly ₹120–₹250 for a round trip depending on season.
Prices compiled from uttarakhandtourism.gov.in and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit Kempty Falls
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
08:00 – 10:00
Early OpeningBest time to go
First taxis from Mussoorie's Library Bus Stand arrive around 09:00. Steps and pools are quiet; the best window for photographs without crowds in frame.
Quiet10:00 – 14:00
Midday Tour Convoy
Shared-taxi convoys and family day-trippers from Dehradun peak in this window. Ropeway queues can run 20–30 minutes and the lower pools get genuinely crowded.
Very busy14:00 – 16:30
Afternoon Plateau
Crowd stays heavy but the worst of the queueing eases as some day-trip groups head back toward Mussoorie for evening Mall Road plans.
Busy16:30 – 18:00
Closing Window
Light softens for photography and most tour groups have left. Pool access winds down as attendants start closing changing rooms before 18:00.
Moderate
History of Kempty Falls
Kempty Falls entered the British hill-station circuit soon after Mussoorie itself was settled in the 1820s, as a resting point on the cart road toward the Yamunotri and Gangotri pilgrimage routes. John Mekinan's resthouse gave the spot its first permanent structure and its Anglicised name. Through the late 19th and early 20th centuries the falls remained a modest waypoint rather than a destination in their own right, visited mainly by pilgrims and by Mussoorie residents on horseback outings.
The falls became a mass-tourism site only after Independence, once the Mussoorie–Yamunotri road was widened for motor traffic and Dehradun's population grew enough to make a half-day trip feasible for families. The ropeway, added in the early 2000s, cut the approach from a 250-step descent to a five-minute cable-car ride and roughly tripled daily footfall.
Rules & etiquette at Kempty Falls
Swimming below the main fall face is discouraged by posted signage and, during the monsoon, actively barred by attendants, because the pool depth and current change with upstream rainfall that visitors cannot see from the bank. Life jackets are not routinely issued; bring your own judgement about water depth before wading past knee height.
Changing rooms are basic corrugated-tin cubicles near the lowest pool; women travelling alone report the queue moves faster on weekday mornings. Touts near the taxi stand at the top of the steps push overpriced 'guided' descents and inflated locker fees — the municipal rate card is posted at the ticket booth, and it is worth checking prices there before handing over cash to a tout. Plastic bottles and food wrappers left on the steps are a real problem in peak season; carry your rubbish back up rather than leaving it streamside.
Tips for visiting Kempty Falls
- 1
The ropeway (₹120–₹250 round trip, price shifts with season) departs from a station near the main road and lands close to the lowest pool, saving the 250-step climb back up in wet clothes — worth the fare on a hot afternoon even if you walk down. Floating-tube rental (around ₹100) lets non-swimmers bob in the calmer lower pools without wading in fully clothed.
- 2
The dhabas lining the upper viewing platform serve Maggi noodles and hot pakoras, priced roughly double what the same items cost in Mussoorie's Mall Road bazaar — normal for a captive tourist site, not a scam specific to this one. Weekday visits, especially Tuesday to Thursday outside school-holiday weeks, cut the crowd at the pools by roughly half compared with a Saturday. If travelling with young children, the upper viewing platform gives a full view of the cascade without the steep, slippery descent.
How to reach Kempty Falls
The red star is Kempty Falls; the numbered pins are the 3 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.
Kempty Falls Road, Kempty, Mussoorie, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand 248179Directions in Google Maps
From Mussoorie Library Bus Stand
₹150–₹25015 km · 35–45 min
Shared taxi seat; ₹800–₹1,000 private taxi return trip with waiting time.
From Dehradun Railway Station
₹900–₹1,30033 km · 1h 10m – 1h 30m
Private taxi via Mussoorie Diversion Road.
From Jolly Grant Airport (DED)
₹1,200–₹1,60035 km · 1h 20m – 1h 45m
Prepaid taxi.
Nearest airport
From Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (DED)
35 km, approximately 1h 30m by road via Mussoorie Road.
Nearest railway station
From Dehradun Railway Station
33 km, approximately 1h 15m via the Mussoorie Diversion Road.
Kempty Falls FAQs
Is there an entry fee for Kempty Falls?
No, entry to Kempty Falls itself is free as of 2026. Visitors pay separately for optional extras: lockers (around ₹50), changing rooms (₹10), costume hire (₹20), parking (₹40), and the ropeway (₹120–₹250 round trip) — verify current rates at the counter.
Is it safe to swim at Kempty Falls?
Swimming directly under the main fall face is discouraged and barred during the monsoon. The five terraced lower pools are shallower and generally used for wading rather than swimming; attendants close sections after heavy rain when the current strengthens unpredictably.
How many steps lead down to Kempty Falls?
Roughly 250 stone steps connect the road-level viewing area to the lowest pool. The ropeway, priced separately, bypasses this descent and climb in about five minutes each way.
What is the best time to visit Kempty Falls to avoid crowds?
Weekday mornings between 08:00 and 10:00 see the fewest visitors, before shared-taxi convoys from Mussoorie and Dehradun arrive in volume between 10:00 and 14:00. Weekdays outside school-holiday weeks are consistently quieter than weekends.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
Places to visit near Kempty Falls
Straight-line distances from our map; times are estimates.
